Birth With Power

Latest Episodes:

Ep195: Claudia’s Birth Story - 52 Hours from Induction to Vaginal Birth Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

This is a delightful birth story episode from a fellow physician! Claudia is an orthopedic sports surgeon, currently stationed with the Air Force in Anchorage, Alaska. She gave birth at the same military facility where she works and loved her experience. Even though she went into pregnancy at a (barely) advanced maternal age and with pre-existing borderline hypertension, she was still able to have the vaginal birth she wanted.

Being in the “at risk” category doesn’t necessarily predict how your birth will go. A different hospital might have pushed for a c-section instead of waiting for interventions to work. Induction can be long!! Hers was Tuesday to Thursday. You have to be patient with the process and fortunately her care team was.

I love how one of the doctors in the practice asked if she had birth wishes. This is how it should be done. Fortunately Claudia came prepared with a birth plan she’d made the right way (using The Birth Preparation Course) and went over it with her team before she went into labor. If she hadn’t done that she may not have gotten the outcome she did.

This story goes so many places and I know you’re going to learn a lot from Claudia's experience.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How Claudia and her partner got pregnant without any treatment right after visiting an infertility specialist

-How her experience as a physician influenced her expectations of birth

-How she felt about giving birth in the military overall

-Why she and her care team opted for induction

-Which pain management option she liked and which one she hated

-When and why her team decided to implement different interventions to move her labor along

-How she felt when her doctor said they needed to consider a c-section after she’d been trying for vaginal for so long

-How well she recovered after a 3rd degree tear by immediately requesting pelvic floor physical therapy

-How her baby’s latching issues were resolved

-What she wished she’d have known about the postpartum “baby blues”

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode195

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Ep 194: Advice from Labor and Delivery Nurse Liesel Teen a.k.a. Mommy Labor Nurse Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Today’s guest, Liesel Teen, BSN, RN, is a labor and delivery nurse and the founder of Mommy Labor Nurse. I have been wanting to have a labor and delivery nurse on for a long time because I know how important they are to the birth experience. We obviously have quite a bit of overlap in what we do but I never want to come in front of you like I’m the only one with information to help you through your pregnancy and birth.

Now of course I offer fantastic information but it’s great to have more than one trusted source. We come from different backgrounds, different experiences, and we bring that to our work. It can also be reassuring to hear the same thing from multiple experts. Different people present information in different ways and you may just find that one educator’s style works for you better than another.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What exactly does a labor and delivery (L&D) nurse do during labor and birth

-What are some misconceptions about L&D nurses

-How L&D nurses work with doulas, doctors, and midwives

-What should you expect from your L&D nurse

-What you should do if you are not happy with your L&D nurse

-What are some tricks and tips that Liesel has learned from her career

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode194

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Ep193: 10 Crazy Things from My Career Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

I cannot believe I graduated from medical school in 2002! Looking back at my career, a lot of wild things have happened. On this podcast I get to bring you expert advice, education on important topics, and all kinds of birth stories. But for this episode, I thought I’d do something a little more lighthearted and share 10 interesting things from my two-decade career.

I will be talking about some of the difficult things that happen in my specialty, as well. Some of these stories are going to be a little bit gruesome - I give a warning in the episode before going into anything graphic so you can skip ahead. Overall you are going to enjoy it and hopefully you find these stories funny or relatable.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What makes it impossible for the hospital to prepare your epidural before you arrive

-Why all kinds of reactions to the arrival of your baby are ok

-Why certain items absolutely should not be inserted into a vagina!

-Why you should think about how your actions affect can others in a public space

-How even I, after 20 years in practice, am not able to predict how quickly a birth might progress

-Why faster is not necessarily better when it comes to labor

-Why we need to monitor placenta previa so carefully

-How we medical providers could be more sensitive to our patients feelings

-What a notarized birth plan is and what it means (or honestly doesn’t mean)

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode193

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Ep192: Tes’s Birth Story - An Empowered First Time Birth For a 40+ Year Old Mom Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

This is the first birth story of 2023 and it’s such a wonderful, happy, joyful one. Tes's pregnancy journey included an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and an almost IVF cycle that was halted by Covid shutdowns.

At 43 years old she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I really like how she maintains a positive attitude but is still honest about the hard parts. She’s real about loss, frustration, and pain - and she admits that yes, she did cuss but she never cussed at anyone.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What age Tes and her partner were when they decided to try and get pregnant

-Whether she conceived with or without IVF

-How the onset of the pandemic affected her pregnancy plans

-How she managed pregnancy loss

-Why Tes looked at being a patient of “advanced maternal age” as a good thing

-What made her care team so special

-How her pain management affected her birth

-Why she was rushed to an emergency procedure after her daughter was born

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode192

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ep 191: A Personalized Approach to Prenatal Vitamins with Doreen Bloch and Dr. Nathan S. Fox of Ellement Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

This is the first time I’m having more than one guest on at a time and I’m super excited to have both. Today I’m joined by Doreen Bloch and Dr. Nathan S. Fox. Doreen is the CEO and founder of Ellement, the first personalized prenatal supplement system. And Nathan is a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and an advisor at Ellement.

Ellement was actually a sponsor of the podcast last year and I invited them to come back because what they’re doing with prenatal supplements is pretty cool. The short story is that, unlike most prenatals, these supplements are made specifically for each individual person based on their unique needs or dietary preferences. I love the idea of things being more personalized and less one size fits all; I think that’s the future of where supplements and healthcare overall are headed.

Please know that I have no financial interest here. They are no longer sponsoring the podcast - I just want to share things with you that I think are important and useful.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why we recommend prenatal vitamins

-When you should start taking them

-What the difference is between folic acid and methylfolate

-What role supplements should serve in pregnancy nutrition

-How prenatals can be deficient

-Why individualized care is important

-How Doreen’s personal experience with pregnancy and birth inspired her to start Ellement

-How the cost of Ellement stacks up against other prenatals or mixing and matching vitamins

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode191

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ep 190: What Exactly Is Physiologic Birth? Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

I’m kicking off the new year with a really important episode about physiologic birth. I was inspired to cover this topic by our guest from episode 168, CNM Gianna Fay. She wrote to me asking if I would be willing to cover it and my response was - sure… but how?

It’s not a topic that OB/GYNs are taught much if anything about. The term gets used a lot in the online space but it’s not often defined. So I decided to roll up my sleeves and see what information I could find. I learned about it myself and I’m going to share that information with you today.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How normal physiologic birth is defined

-Which factors disrupt physiologic childbirth

-What are the benefits of normal physiologic birth

-Whether any one position should be mandated or prescribed

-What are the factors that influence physiologic birth

-Why it’s vital for your medical team to support your wishes

-What makes it necessary to intervene

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode190

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Ep189: Top Episodes of 2022 Dec 27, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the last episode of the year! As always I’m incredibly grateful that you are spending some of your time with me today. So in this episode I am sharing the most downloaded episodes of 2022 from each of the main categories of the show: birth stories, expert interviews, and solo episodes. I love producing this podcast because I not only get to share my knowledge with you but I actually get to learn and grow as an OB through these interviews.

Now I often do listener shoutouts and today I want to do a listener shoutout to YOU, to every single person who is listening to me right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do to listen, support, and share the podcast. It just means the world to me. I love getting messages saying that you appreciate the show and what it has done for you, for your pregnancy, and for your birth experience. It truly warms my heart and keeps me going during the times when this work gets challenging.

I hope you enjoy this episode and as always, don’t forget that you deserve a beautiful pregnancy and birth.

Here Are the Most Downloaded Episodes of 2022:

-Episode 154: Karrah’s Birth Story - Easy Pregnancy, Difficult Birth

-Episode 145: Crystal’s Birth Story - Laughing Through the Pain

-Episode 148: Taylor’s Birth Story - Easy Births Do Happen

-Episode 152: Fitness and Pregnancy with 9Round Exercise Specialist MacKenzie Rowand

-Episode 158: How to Prepare for Postpartum with Nicole Makowka of LOOM

-Episode 146: What Your Genetics Can Tell You with Genetic Counselor Ushta Davar Canteenwalla

-Episode 147: Let’s Talk About Due Dates

-Episode 160: 9 Tips for an Unmedicated (Often Referred to as “Natural”) Birth

-Episode 153: Breech Birth - Updated!

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode189

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ep188: Krysti’s Birth Story - The Best Case Scenario Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Krysti’s birth was everything she wanted. Due to her mosaic Turner's syndrome, she struggled with infertility. But after only one cycle of IVF she was able to conceive!

Her labor progressed very quickly and she had to speak up for herself to convince her care team that she was actually in labor. In fact things moved so fast that she gave birth right in a triage room. It goes to show that we can’t predict what birth will be like, we can only prepare.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What mosaic Turner’s syndrome is and what it means for pregnancy

-What made Krysti feel like she might be going into labor

-What her attitude was towards pain management

-How giving birth outside of a birthing room affected her experience

-What her pain experience was like having a sunny side up birth

-How she struggled to adjust to her new body after giving birth

-What kinds of unexpected consequences came along with overproducing milk

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode188

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ep187: The Benefits of Yoga During and After Pregnancy with Lara Heimann Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

If you’ve listened to me for a while or followed me on Instagram then you may know that I love yoga, so I’m always happy to chat about it on the podcast. Lara Heimann is a yoga instructor, physical therapist, and creator of the LYT Yoga Method. She is a mother of two and has created a special pre/post natal series on her platform to help expecting and new parents build and hold onto energy.

You know how I feel about “the snapback.” That’s not what this is about. Lara’s and my discussion focuses instead on how movement and strength building can help you to have a healthier and happier pregnancy. As your belly grows you will need a stronger back to support it; as your breasts get bigger, you’ll want stronger shoulders to hold them. Connect with your body, learn to listen to it, and give it what it needs. You’re going to learn all kinds of helpful skills for wellness in this episode!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What made Lara want to become a yoga instructor

-How her approach is different

-How paying attention to the way we move impacts all other areas of our lives

-Why posture is so important

-How a movement practice - whether it’s yoga or not - can make you better equipped to handle pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery

-What types of movement and poses you can do during pregnancy

-How improper posture and a sedentary lifestyle can drain energy

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode187

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ep 186: Obesity And Pregnancy - Updated! Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

In today’s episode I’m revisiting the subject of how obesity affects pregnancy. Originally, I covered this topic in 2019 but I feel like I missed the mark. It was a bit too negative and, to be honest, I have some weight bias that I’ve been working on. So I want to come back to it today.

I know that weight in general can be a sensitive topic but it’s something that we need to discuss because it affects quite a few women during pregnancy. Up top I’d like to acknowledge that size is not the only indicator of health and that body positivity is important. However, we gotta understand the facts about the effects of obesity because without the facts you don’t have the info you need to have your best pregnancy and birth.

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode186

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy